Road noise problem on 1st gen

Happy New Year to all! I was hoping for a heads up on a problem on a 1999 Tacoma Pre runner 3.4l. I put some new tires(BF Goodrich All Terrain) tires on about 5000 miles ago. Just had them rotated and balanced the other day. I have been having some roaring road noise for several years and I just ignored it(thought it was tire noise). I recently changed all the front end parts and the steering is back like new, nice and tight.(Changed ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearing and all front bushings) The noise seems like drivetrain noise. It starts up at around 45mph and gets worse to 65mph and then above 70mph it seems to lighten up a bit.If you coast with the transmission engaged it subsides slightly. Seems worse when pulling or speeding up, still makes noise if you take it out of gear. The noise is like you had a small bubble on a tire or driving down an Interstate that is concrete and hitting the joints at speed. Thunk a thunk a thunk etc. I have ordered new universal joints and the carrier bearing to change, hoping it might be one of those. The truck has 212,000 miles, mostly highway miles not much off road except while deer hunting. Anybody ever had a problem like this and how to solve it? Do you think its one of the universal joints, carrier bearing, or rear wheel bearings? I haven't had time to check them, as right before Christmas I did all the front end work. Thanks for any thoughts or assistance, Dave

 

Hm, from you explanation I would suspect the ujoint as well as thats what happened to my vehicle when it displayed the similar symptoms (lots of vibrating in the cab while accelerating accompanied by loud rumble like I was driving on the jagged edge of the road).

Hard to say for sure though. In my situation I jacked up the 4runner, and could physically shake the ujoint as it had lots of play. If I was in your shoes, I would go under to see if there is any play in anything from the drivetrain/wheels. Perhaps something leaking from a seal. Wish i could have been of more help, and hope you find the issue.

 

Seized up universal joints will usually give you some nasty vibrations .
The only way to tell if they are seized is to pop the driveshaft off and manipulate each joint by hand feeling for tight spots in each u joint .
Now if you have some roaring noises , I would suspect a worn bearing from the carrier bearing or rear wheel bearing .
When you hear the noise begin , steer hard to the left and then to the right while listening for a change in pitch .
Steering hard to either direction will load up the rear wheel bearings . If you hear a pitch change , chances are you have a bad rear wheel bearing .
If the noise doesnt change , chances are you have a faulty carrier bearing on the driveshaft .

 

Thank you guys for the reply, this coming week I will drag the jack stands back out and get under there and move some stuff around. This truck has never had anything but front brakes done in the 213,000 miles till I did the front end work and all belts and hoses before Christmas. I was planning to do the back brakes(they are worn but still alive) but,I think the noise issue will come first. Does anyone know if the Spicer carrier bearing for $79 is the same as Toyota. I ordered most of the front end parts from Amayama in Japan. That saved a couple hundred dollars and took about 7days to get here. I can get the Toyota part from them for $112. Toyota universals for $32. One of the front wheel bearing was a little noisy so I changed them both. The one that was still good was actually pretty smooth for the mileage. My old Toyota has been a great truck!

 

I got under the truck today, didn't have anything but a smartphone app to measure any angles.(didn't work too good on the transmission joint or the rear end joint). Bottom of front shaft was 5 degrees and the back shaft 6.9 degrees. I was prying around on the u-joints,carrier bearing and the transmission mount. Anyone know how much play there is in the carrier bearing? Should I be able to move the driveshaft up and down/left to right in the carrier. It seems like not too much play side to side(maybe and 1/8"), but I can move it straight up and down maybe 1/4" with my hand.The rubber doesn't look cracked or torn.Seems like the shaft is riding in the bottom of the opening. I can pry up on the tranny mount over 1/4" too and it looks a tad worn.Is there supposed to be a 1/4" gap between the rubber and what looks to be a nut on top? The u-joints seem tight in the cradles, I haven't taken the shaft out yet as I will wait on the parts for that. Thanks Dave

 

Hey Gearcruncher, you may have been right about one of the u-joints. I got all the parts and started changing them out. Front u-joint by transmission probably could have left it in>still good after 213,000, still had some grease in it.Got new ones so changed it out. Carrier bearing rubber was good but the shaft was sagging about a 1/4 inch towards the bottom of the rubber>changed it. Rear u-joint was real suspicious> first thing I noticed was one of the ears looked slightly bent. I bought this truck new. This had to either come from the factory this way or it got bent in the 212,000 miles I've drove it>( mostly highway miles, except for deer hunting).The joint on the side that seemed bent a tad, did not move as freely and had a little hitch as I moved it. When I put the new u-joint in that position it didn't move as freely in that direction either. I greased em all up and and I will install it tomorrow. I'll report back and see if the vibration and noise is any better.
If anyone knows if the bolt on top of the transmission mount should be tight, loose or snug please let me know. "Timmy the tool man" said tight.The new transmission mount had maybe a 1/4" play in it. The old one had about 1/2" or more. This is between the big washer and the rubber the bolt is on top.Looks like this but the plastic thing goes thru the frame on the bottom>

https://www.partsgeek.com/gbproduct...QYAiABEgI3aPD_BwE&ad=47433949212#immersedview

Thanks for the help, Dave